After finishing my website to a level that I am happy with, I can now see the end result and which parts of my design were good and which parts weren't as good. For example I believe my main downfall was the overall presentation of the website. However I do believe I have stuck to my "Simplistic" mindset and approach to it. Despite the navigation bar being functional, the actual colour scheme of the site has much to be desired.
1: Navigation
As you can see from above, the navigation bar is black, with a fade to the site background which is a desert picture, which I have adjusted the brightness and contrast of to make darker. Initially, this was to provide a dark, easy on the eyes design which would be nicer to look at for periods of time, and to work on. However, because the picture has been changed to lower the brightness, the colours suffer and look strange and un-natural. The black navigation bar also looks out of place in contrast to the picture, rather than using a completely black background for it, a better idea would have been to use a slightly transparent or matching colour to compliment the background.
The font I have used to create the buttons are also not the most ideal ones, because they can be at times, hard to read and for a new user, it may be difficult for them to be able to distinguish what the button says/is for.
Despite the flaws with the main colour scheme, it is kept consistent throughout the site, which I believe to be a better design than having an alternating design on every page. I believe, because the film is based in Persia, a middle Eastern country, which is known for its deserts and harsh conditions., I made the correct choice using a desert picture as the background for the site. However, there are different themes that the site could have followed, rather than a desert, the site could be based around a set of ruins, or market for example.
2: Pre loader
The pre loader prior to the actual site is an FLV of one of the main parts of the film, changing its contrast and saturation randomly, to create a glowing affect. It is also followed by a white loading bar at the bottom of the screen. While the loading bar is not complex it is a simple and most users would quickly establish that it is showing the status of the load.
I think that the glowing dagger is a nice, simple an good looking addition to the pre loader as it catches the eye of the user, just before the site appears. However, rather than creating this in After Effects and rendering it as a FLV, I'm sure there is a more efficient, and easier way to create this affect gain but with a smaller file size.
3&4: Merch.
Rather than adding in an entire store for the site, I have provided links to external sources to purchase Prince of Persia Merchandise. Although using primarily images to label and show the merchandise, it is easier and can be simpler than having a lot of text and prices on the site. However, the site does look empty and without much detail with this. This can still be a better choice than having a full page of available listings, which in my opinion looks messy, cluttered and at times, confusing.
Because the official Prince of Persia website also promotes more products I have also included another, more discreet form of advertising in the shape of a Lego man. I chose to use this over a static button linking to the products because this is a more creative, nicer and a less formal way to advertise products.
Initial Reactions?
Zac: I liked the Enter Site button... But when I clicked it took me to a fairly empty homepage. That has to change, maybe put in an interactive feature such as the dagger of time 360 degree view? Or a profile of the characters.
Roxanne: I think it's really good
Does the site fit the film’s theme?
Zac: Yes. But the homepage could have some more information about the film.
Roxanne: Yes, I think the site fits the theme nicely.
Navigation difficulties?
Zac: None. I found the website to have a nice layout and all the links work.
Roxanne: No navigation difficulties at all but maybe change the font of HOME Because I thought it said Some but maybe that's just me, because I'm foreign.
From the replies I have received from various users, I can see that one major issue is the homepage. To hopefully solve this issue I am going to add more things to the homepage.
Also from the replies I have gotten, I can see that I may have gone for a too simple design, which to others, may just seem like an empty or unfinished site. Which is definitely not what is wanted in a site design. I can see that in the future I should try to work on designs that would appeal to the mass of people, rather than using and going with designs that I feel are better.
The animation that the Icons do when the mouse hovers over them, on the downloads page, while it is a nice looking affect, if the user moves the mouse off of the icon sharply then the animation automatically stops and returns to its original form. While this is a good thing, it does not look smooth or clean. There are other ways to create this affect and end with a smoother roll off action. In regards to creating the affect, there are also easier ways to do so, without having to create several symbols. Inside one another.
There are also no transitions between pages, which can be seen as a bad thing, however, for site browsing, it makes navigation easier. For instance, if you wanted to change pages quickly, a transition would simply take up time, thus not having any saves time for the user. However having no transitions might look bad when analysing the site critically. Despite this, I chose not to include transitions, although they would have made navigation of the site smoother and nicer.
Overall, I am happy with the outcome of this website, which is also the first website I have made independently. My expectations were not high before, however, I feel my site design has done better that I originally hoped for. Although, that point of view if bias towards myself. I stand by it and I hope to make things in the future of higher quality.
